Red Lentil Sambar from Vegan Fire and Spice

Robin Robertson, the prolific author of Vegan Planet and over a dozen other cookbooks, has just come out with a new one, and boy is it hot–literally. She recently contacted me to ask if she could send me a review copy of Vegan Fire & Spice, and being the heat-seeking eater that I am, I immediately said “Yes, please!”

Vegan Fire & Spice’s 200 recipes range from subtly spicy to tongue blistering, arranged by geographic region and labeled with symbols indicating the level of heat. But what may be most impressive about the recipes is that they don’t depend solely on hot spices for their flavor, so someone who doesn’t like spicy food at all can tone down or leave out the peppers completely and still enjoy a dish that’s deliciously seasoned. Most of the recipes are uncomplicated and don’t involve huge lists of ingredients.

Robin was kind enough to allow me to post a recipe of my choice, and deciding which one to make wasn’t easy, but Anshu’s Red Lentil Sambar had all the elements that I look for in a recipe: it was simple, low in fat, and full of vegetables. Though it requires more ingredients than most of the book’s recipes do, many of them are seasonings that are added all together. I’ve reprinted the recipe exactly as it appears in the book, but I have to tell you that you can get away with using much less oil than the recipe indicates. I used about 1/8 teaspoon to pop the mustard seeds, and that was all. Even with reduced fat, this recipe was rich and hearty, a delicious dish that my whole family enjoyed. I’ll be making it again–as soon as I check out some of the other tempting recipes!

Anshu’s Red Lentil Sambar

Sambar powder is available in Indian markets and online. Serve over freshly cooked basmati rice.

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils

3 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons cold-pressed canola oil [I used 1/8 tsp.]

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 hot green chiles, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

2 teaspoons sambar powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup diced eggplant

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

Combine the lentils and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer until soft, 30 minutes. Set aside, do not drain.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the onion, garlic, chiles, and ginger and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the sambar powder, coriander, cayenne, cumin, salt, and garam masala. Add the carrots, cauliflower, green beans, and eggplant. Cover and cook for 5 minutes to soften.

Add the vegetable mixture to the reserved lentils, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, 20 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cilantro and cook 5 minutes longer.

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That is one funny sambar! Traditionally, sambar is a soupy lentil dish served with rice. South Indian. But over here the sambar looks more like stew…

7:09 AM, February 19, 2008
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San Luis said…

If “Fire & Spice” is anything like Robin’s “Some Like It Hot,” it’ll be a winner for sure! Everything in that book works — and works and works. It’s one of the most-used cookbooks in our household, hands down. I don’t care if it’s 8 in the morning — I could totally go for Robin’s Tofu With Romesco Sauce right now.

I love a little heat! At first that recipe looks like work, given the list of ingredients, but the instructions are pretty dang easy. I’ll have to take a look at that book. 🙂

5:06 PM, February 21, 2008
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Happy Herbivore! said…

the colors! woah
I will def. be making this dish very soon!

6:00 PM, February 21, 2008
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Manda said…

I love food that has a lot of bulk yet is so fresh, clean and good for you; this recipe is one of those recipes.

Oh my gosh it was delicious.

6:12 PM, February 21, 2008
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juju said…

I can’t live, cook or eat without fire OR spice! I LOVE your blog. Thank you! Long time visitor, first time commenter.

10:22 PM, February 21, 2008
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little miss veggie. said…

this photo is amazing! im ecited to search your blog for a lot of recipes! check out my blog sometime too:)

1:44 AM, February 22, 2008
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affectioknitter said…

That looks really yummy – I’ll have to try it – we love lentils…

11:44 AM, February 22, 2008
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zlamushka said…

i am always amazed by your creativity, Susan 🙂

3:27 AM, February 23, 2008
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Anonymous Angela said…

This looks great. I’m going to try it this week. Just a quick question–did you make your own sambar powder or buy it as a spice? I don’t own it so I’m not sure what to look for in the store. Thanks!

10:21 AM, February 23, 2008
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SusanV said…

Zlamushka, thanks for the compliment, but I can’t take any credit for this one–it’s straight from Robin’s book.

Angela, I bought it in a package at an Indian grocery store. I’ve never seen it in a regular supermarket, so if you don’t have an Indian market near you, you may have to buy it online.

10:50 AM, February 23, 2008
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Anonymous Ricki said…

Never heard of sambar, but I’ve got all the rest in the house. . . and since I love spicy foods, this is definitely one to try (not that I’ve got even 1/4 the way through Vegan Planet yet, of course. . ) 😉

3:36 PM, February 23, 2008
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cash money winsome said…

oh, this was so tasty! i’ve been missing on sambar’s taste, and i appreciate that this one had lots of veggies to make it seem more like a full meal. thanks for sharing! robin’s book is going on my wishlist.

4:15 PM, February 23, 2008
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Manvantara said…

As mustardseed said earlier, this IS one funny sambar!
I think an authentic version of sambar can be found in “Dakshin” – book I am sure you will love.

One glaring NO NO in this sambar recipe you posted is the adding of garam masala! Sambar is a south Indian dish and garam masala is NOT used in South Indian cooking!
I grew up in Madras and I should know…. 🙂

In response to Manvantara’s comment about the garam masala — the original recipe from my friend’s aunt Anshu contained no garam masala — I added the 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala to the recipe when I adapted it for the book because the original recipe called for even more spices in an already long recipe so I decided instead to add a pinch of garam masala instead as a shortcut — it can easily be omitted for a more authentic recipe. And for those who prefer a thinner/soupier sambar, just chop the veggies a little smaller and add more liquid. Hope this helps! And thanks again, Susan, for posting the recipe — it looks great.

9:33 AM, February 26, 2008
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Anonymous Andrea T. said…

This recipe is fabulous! I just made it tonight; my Indian husband (I am white) devoured it and said it would make a south Indian proud! This recipe has won me points with my Bangalore-dwelling in-laws…thank you!:):)

8:18 PM, May 29, 2008
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Anonymous said…

Susan,
Your blog is amazing as usual. Just wanted to give a tip. I am from south India where Sambhar is a staple. We do not add garam masala to Sambhar ( That is a north Indian thing ) Also you can cook the lentils in a pressure cooker cuts the cooking time in half. I normally freeze extrs lentil and use it to make a dal

9:13 AM, June 23, 2008
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Jenny said…

Your blog is my new favorite thing. Making a variation of your “Dirty Little Secret” soup right now! But this recipe is really what got me interested and really made my week last week. A lot of chopping but soooooo worth it. Not sure if Robin will ever check back, but if she ever does, Robin, it would be cool to see the list of all the spices you left out to make the recipe again and this time ultra-authentic style.

1:01 AM, July 08, 2008
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Leslita said…

I finally found some sambar powder and just made this tonight using broccoli along with the cauliflower and beans. It was excellent – I can’t wait to make it again with eggplant!

Dear Susan V.,
I’ve tried the Anshu’s Red Lentil Sambar’s receipe and it was just lovely even if I had to do it without the sambar powder that I couldn’t find and that I did it with green lentils and regular mustard seeds. So I can imagine that the original is an explosion of flavours! I also used a mix of olive oil and sesame oil (that I love and try to put everywhere I can : )
I wanted to tell you that I love your blog and it has been very useful to me ever since I made the decision to eat vegetarian. There is a vegan restaurant here in Montreal called “Aux Vivres” that can convince anyone to pass to a vegan diet because everything they make is fantastic, different and healthy. I wish you could come and try it out so you can maybe reproduce some receipes and give us some secrets….I’m ruining myself by going always more and more often!!
Thank you for offering us your varied talents and art!

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